Bridle



D. MAGNER. Bridle.

No. 233,631. Patented Oc't. 26, |880.

UNTTan STATES PATENT Ormea.

DENNIS MAGNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,631, dated October26, 1880,

Application filed January 28, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DENNIS MAGNER, residingin Brooklyn, Kings county, and State of New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Bridles for the subjection and control ofvicious, runaway, or kicking horses while driving, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar construction andcombination of the various parts of a bridle especially adapted torestrain heads'trong and vicious horses, as more fully set forth anddescribed in the following specification and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts, Figure l is a perspective view of a bridle, bit,reins, Sie., embodying myinvention. Fig. 2is an enlarged view of the bitdetached from the bridle. invention when placed in position on the headof a horse.

a is a bit with a common straight or slightly-curved shank passingthrough the mouth of the animal. At each end ofthe bit a are pivotedrings d d., formed large enough to allow the loops e, holding thepulleys p and attached to the staplef, to swing clear and free withinthe ring d.

A loop or band, b, formed ot' wire, cord, or chain, and covered withrubber, leather, or some suitable substance to prevent the needlesscutting or bruising of the horses lip, is attached by links c c aroundthe ends of the straight bar of the bit a. The bar a of the bit isplaced in the usual manner in the mouth of the animal. The loop or bandbis placed over the upper teeth of the animal and beneath his upper lip,so that any pull ot' the reins on the bit brings the pressure on thelip-band b. (See Fig. 3.)

The rein r is attached first to the ring d. From the ring cl the reinpasses upward over the pulley q, thence downward again under the pulleyp in the loop c, and thence to the drivers hands. The pulley q issecured to a narrow oval strap passing over the head of the horse andbeneath the cap or head-strap ofthe bridle, which also passes over thehorses head.

The head-piece or` cross-strap over the upper portion of the bridle islarge and broad, as

Fig. 3 shows a bridle embodying my' both the blinder-strap and thethroat-strap are usually secured thereto. This head-piece, being a broadstrap, must of necessity rest upon the bones on each side of theunprotected portion of the spinal cord and prevent the required pressureupon this vital nerve-center.

The strap s s, to which the pulleys gare attached, is formed quitenarrow and of tleXible, soft, or yielding material, so as to be capableof being drawn down between the atlas and occipital bones of the head,to bring a direct pressure upon the uncovered portion of the spinalcord. This narrow stra p s, passing over the horses head and supportingthe pulleys q q, is formed oval or thick in the center and thin on theedges whereit passes over the head ofthe horse, to more perfectlyaccomplish the desired pressure on the unprotected portion of the spinalcord.

By passing the reins from the ring d over the pulley q and beneath thepulley p on the ends of the shank of the bit, a threefold power isobtained on the bit and mouth of the horse, and a double leverage issecured upon thestrap which passes over the head of the horse andsupports the pulleys q q.

Should it be deemed expedient, after once reducing the animal tosubjection, to reduce the controlling power, the end of the reins can besecured directly to the pulley q, and thence passed beneath the pulley pto the drivers hand; but this only would be advisable after the animalhad been once subdued. When the animal has been subdued the lip-band bcan also be removed, it' desired, and the bit and bridle used as acommon bridle.

When the reins and bridle are constructed and applied as described, andas shown in the accompanying drawings, whenever suflicient pressure isbrought upon the reins r it will result in bringing the desired pressureas described upon the unprotected portion of the spinal cord, which willat once affect the whole nervous system of the animal, reducing himeasily, safely, and quickly to subjection, while at the saine timepressure is brought upon the most sensitive portion ofthe animal, underthe upper lip, causing a pain which the most vicious and headstronghorse cannot resist.

I do not claim, broadly, the lip-hand b, neithera strap passing over thehead of the horse IOO to bring a pressure thereon, nor pulleys forpulleys placed near the cheeks of the bridle multiplying the power ofthe reins, when these upon a strap passing over the head of theanivarious devices are used separately; but mal, and the driving-reinsadapted to pass 15 What I do claim as new, and desire to searound saidpulleys to multiply the powerof the 5 cure by Letters Patent,isrestraining force, all combined and arranged The combination, in abridle for controlling to give the driver more complete control overvicious or headstron g horses, of the extra the animal, substantially asdescribed. mouth-piece extending over the upper jaw and beneath theupper lip of the animal, the main DENNIS MAGNER. 1o shank of Jthe bitadapted to pass through the Witnesses:

horses mouth, the friction-pulleys attached to EDWIN A. HILDRETH,

the ends of the main bit, and other friction- OHAS. H. SHEPARD.

